CN116615385A

CN116615385A - Elevator door control

Info

Publication number: CN116615385A
Application number: CN202080104603.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: N·帕拉玛西瓦姆; K·萨拉瓦南; G·S·帕蒂安
Original assignee: Kone Corp
Current assignee: Kone Corp
Priority date: 2020-07-21
Filing date: 2020-07-21
Publication date: 2023-08-18
Also published as: US20230150797A1; WO2022018321A1; EP4185550A4; EP4185550A1

Abstract

According to an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an apparatus (220) for controlling at least one aspect of the operation of an elevator car door (111) by operating a door drive system (230), the door drive system being arranged to drive the car door (111) between a first end position and a second end position of its range of movement, wherein the door drive system (230) comprises a motor coupled to the car door (111) via a transmission system, and wherein the elevator car (110) comprises a door coupler (112) connected to the car door (111) for temporarily coupling the car door (111) to the landing door (131) such that the landing door (131) moves together with the car door (111) between a closed position and an open position when the elevator car (110) resides in a landing zone of a landing, the apparatus (220) being configured to: controlling the movement of the car door (111), monitoring one or more parameters describing the power consumption of the motor when the car door (111) is moved, and performing a configuration process comprising: recording a first power consumption curve describing the power consumption of the electric motor as a function of the position of the car door (111) when the car door (111) is moved from the first end position to the second end position; recording a second power consumption curve describing the power consumption of the electric motor as a function of the position of the car door (111) when the car door (111) is moved from the second end position to the first end position; and designating one of the first end position and the second end position as a door-closed position and the other of the first end position and the second end position as a door-open position based on one or more characteristics of the first and second power consumption curves.

Description

Elevator door control

Technical Field

Exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the present invention relate to controlling and/or monitoring operation of an elevator door.

Background

Proper operation of the elevator door is an important aspect in terms of safety and convenience of elevator passengers. In particular, although maintaining the door open only when the elevator car is in a position that ensures safe entry and exit is critical in terms of passenger safety, timely opening of the door to enable passengers to enter and exit the elevator car plays an important role in avoiding undue delays in passenger transportation.

In many elevator systems, the elevator door is automatically operated such that opening and closing of the elevator door is accomplished through the use of a drive system that includes a motor configured to drive movement of the elevator door under control of an elevator door controller. Because elevator cars and elevator doors are manufactured in a variety of different sizes depending on the requirements of their particular use environment, the drive system and/or elevator door controller need to be separately configured for each elevator car in order to ensure reliable, efficient, and safe operation. However, the configuration of the elevator door controller typically requires manual work and/or the use of hardware dedicated to the configuration process, which can introduce additional costs in manufacturing and installing the elevator system, while also making the configuration process prone to error.

Disclosure of Invention

It is an object of the present invention to provide a technique that facilitates configuring and/or monitoring operation of an elevator car door in a flexible but reliable and cost-effective manner.

According to an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an apparatus for controlling at least one aspect of the operation of an elevator car door by operating a door drive system arranged to drive the car door between a first end position and a second end position in a car door movement range, wherein the door drive system comprises a motor coupled to the car door via a transmission system, and wherein the elevator car comprises a door coupler connected to the car door for temporarily coupling the car door to the landing door when the elevator car resides in a landing zone of the landing, such that the landing door moves together with the car door between a closed position and an open position, wherein the apparatus is arranged for controlling the movement of the car door, monitoring one or more parameters describing the power consumption of the motor when the car door moves, and performing a configuration procedure comprising: a first power consumption curve is recorded, the first power consumption curve describing power consumption of the second motor as a function of position of the car door when the car door moves from the first end position to the second end position, a second power consumption curve is recorded, the second power consumption curve describing power consumption of the motor as a function of position of the car door when the car door moves from the second end position to the first end position, and one of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a door-closed position and the other of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a door-open position based on one or more characteristics of the first power consumption curve and the second power consumption curve.

According to another exemplary embodiment, there is provided an elevator car, comprising: a car door disposed in the elevator car; a door drive system for driving the car door between a first end position and a second end position of a car door movement range, wherein the door drive system comprises a motor coupled to the car door via a transmission system; a door coupler connected to the car door for temporarily coupling the car door to the landing door when the elevator car resides in a landing zone of the landing such that the landing door moves with the car door between a closed position and an open position; and a door controller according to any one of claims to 6.

According to another exemplary embodiment, there is provided a method for controlling at least one aspect of the operation of an elevator car door arranged in an elevator car by operating a door drive system arranged to drive the car door between a first end position and a second end position of a range of movement of the car door, wherein the door drive system comprises a motor coupled to the car door via a transmission system, and wherein the elevator car comprises a door coupler connected to the car door for temporarily coupling the car door to the landing door when the elevator car resides in a landing zone of the landing such that the landing door moves together with the car door between a closed position and an open position, the method comprising: monitoring one or more parameters describing the power consumption of the motor when the car door is moving; a first power consumption curve is recorded, the first power consumption curve describing a power consumption of the motor as a function of the car door position when the car door moves from the first end position to the second end position, a second power consumption curve is recorded, the second power consumption curve describing a power consumption of the motor as a function of the car door position when the car door moves from the second end position to the first end position, and one of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a closed door position and the other of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a door open position based on one or more characteristics of the first power consumption curve and the second power consumption curve.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a computer program for controlling at least one aspect of the operation of an elevator car door is provided, the computer program comprising computer readable program code configured to cause at least the method according to the above-described exemplary embodiments to be performed when the program code is executed on one or more computing devices.

The computer program according to the above-described exemplary embodiments may be embodied on a volatile or non-volatile computer-readable recording medium, for example, as a computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable non-transitory medium having program code stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more computing devices, causes the computing devices to perform at least the method according to the above-described exemplary embodiments.

The exemplary embodiments of the invention presented in this patent application should not be interpreted as limiting the applicability of the appended claims. The verb "to comprise" and its conjugations is used in this patent application as an open limitation, which does not exclude the presence of non-enumerated features. The following features may be freely combined with each other unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Some of the features of the present invention are set forth in the appended claims. However, aspects of the invention, both as to its construction and its method of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of some exemplary embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

Drawings

Embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates aspects of an elevator system according to one example;

FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of some of the logic elements of an elevator control system according to one example;

FIG. 3A schematically illustrates a reference power consumption curve according to one example;

FIG. 3B schematically illustrates a reference power consumption curve according to one example;

FIG. 4 illustrates a method according to one example;

fig. 5 schematically illustrates an apparatus according to an example.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 schematically illustrates some aspects of an automatic door equipped elevator system 100 according to one example, including an elevator car 110 movable in a vertical direction within an elevator hoistway 120. The elevator car 110 may be provided with a car door 111, wherein the car door 111 comprises a sliding door movable between a closed position and an open position. The car door 111 may remain locked when the elevator car 110 moves, unlock when the elevator car 110 enters a landing zone located at and near the landing 130, and open when the elevator car 110 stops at the landing 130. Conversely, the elevator car door 111 may be closed before the elevator car 110 leaves the landing 130 and locked when the elevator car 110 leaves the landing zone. Further, the elevator car 110 is provided with a door coupler 112 connected to the car door 111 for temporarily coupling the car door 111 to the landing door 131 of the landing 130 when the elevator car 110 is located within the landing zone of the landing 130 such that the landing door moves with the car door 111 between a closed position and an open position, thereby allowing passengers to move between the landing 130 and the elevator car 110 when the elevator car 110 is at the landing 130, and preventing passengers from entering the elevator hoistway 120 when the elevator car 110 is not at the landing 130.

The door coupler 112 may include a coupling element that engages a corresponding counter element in the landing door 131 when the elevator car 110 is located within the landing zone of the landing 130. In this regard, the coupling elements in the door coupler 112 and the counter elements in the landing door 131 are positioned relative to each other such that the coupling elements pass between the coupling elements as the elevator car 110 moves past the landing door 131. When the elevator car 110 is at the landing 130 and the car door 111 moves to open the car door 111, the door coupler 112 in the elevator car 110 engages a counter element in the landing door 131, and thus, when the car door 111 is moved by a door drive system disposed in the elevator car 110, the landing door 131 moves with the car door 111.

As an example, the coupling elements may comprise sheet metal blades protruding from the door coupler 112 towards the landing door 131, wherein the blades are arranged such that they form a vertical "slot" with their open ends towards the landing door 131, while the counter elements may comprise one or more rollers mounted on the landing door 131 at positions protruding from the landing door 131 towards the elevator hoistway 120, the axes of the one or more rollers being substantially perpendicular to the plane of the landing door 131. The door coupler 112 and/or the car door 111 may also be provided with a locking device which closes or locks the car door 111 in such a way that the car door 111 cannot be opened without special measures when the elevator car 111 is outside the landing zone. In other words, the locking device is able to open the car door 111 only when the elevator car 110 is within the landing zone and thus the car door 111 is aligned substantially perpendicular to the landing door 131 (no special measures). The locking device may comprise a mechanical or electromechanical locking means.

Fig. 2 illustrates a block diagram of some of the logic elements of an elevator control system 200 according to one example. The elevator control system 200 may be used to control various aspects related to movement and operation of the elevator car 110. In an example, the elevator control system 200 is shown with an elevator controller 210 for controlling at least some aspects of movement of the elevator car 110 in the elevator hoistway 120, a door drive system 230 for driving movement of the car door 111 of the elevator car 110 between a closed position and an open position; and a door controller 220 for operating the door drive system 230 and for monitoring at least one aspect of the operation of the door drive system 230.

Similarly, the elevator controller 210 may be arranged to control at least some aspects of movement of the elevator car 110 in the elevator hoistway 120. The elevator controller may include, for example, controlling the speed of the elevator car 110 by controlling one or more motors configured to drive the elevator car 110 and a braking system configured to regulate the speed of the elevator car 110. In the context of the present disclosure, an aspect of interest is the operation of the door controller 220, and thus any aspect related to the general operation of the elevator controller 210 in controlling movement of the elevator car 110 may be provided using techniques known in the art. Thus, any further details regarding the operation of the elevator controller 210 and/or the movement of the elevator car 110 along the elevator hoistway 120 are described herein only to the extent they are necessary to describe examples regarding the operation of the door controller 220.

The elevator controller 210 is typically mounted outside the elevator car 110, such as in or near an appropriate location in the elevator hoistway 120, and it may include or be provided using one or more computing devices including a respective one or more processors arranged to execute one or more computer programs to provide at least some aspects of the operation of the elevator controller 210. Thus, the elevator controller 210 may be provided as an elevator control device (e.g., using a single computer device) or an elevator control system (e.g., using one or more computer devices). The elevator controller 210 is communicatively coupled to the door controller 220, wherein the communicative coupling between the elevator controller 210 and the door controller 220 may be provided using a wired communication network or communication link, using a wireless communication network or communication link, or using a combination of a wireless communication network or communication link and a wireless communication network or communication link.

The elevator controller 210 may also be communicatively coupled to one or more additional elevator controllers and/or elevator group controllers, wherein the one or more additional elevator controllers are arranged to control at least some aspects of movement of respective elevator cars in other elevator hoistways, the elevator group controllers being arranged to control at least some aspects related to movement of multiple elevator cars in multiple elevator hoistways.

Similarly, the door drive system 230 may be arranged to drive the car door 111 between a closed position and an open position. In this regard, the door drive system 230 may operate under the control of the door controller 220, for example, in accordance with one or more door control signals received from the door controller 220. The door drive system 230 may include a motor and a motor controller arranged to control operation of the motor, the motor being coupled to the car door 111 via a transmission system such that operation of the motor causes linear movement of the elevator car door 111 in a direction substantially parallel to an opening in a wall of the elevator hoistway 120 at the landing 130, thereby enabling movement of the car door 111 between closed and open positions. The transmission system may be arranged to convert the rotational movement provided by the motor into a linear movement of the car door 111. The characteristics of the drive train may be selected according to the requirements of the particular implementation of the elevator car 110, car door 111, and/or door drive system 230, and the drive train may include, for example, one or more of the following: belt drives, chain drives, gear trains, and the like.

Similarly, the door controller 220 may be configured to control operation of the door drive system 230 so as to be able to control movement of the car door 111 between the closed and open positions. The door controller 220 may also be configured to monitor at least one aspect of the operation of the door drive system 230. The door controller 220 is typically mounted in the elevator car 110, such as in a suitable location inside the elevator car 110 (e.g., in the ceiling structure of the elevator car 110) or outside the elevator car 110 (e.g., on top of the elevator car 110).

The door controller 220 may comprise or may be provided using a computing device comprising one or more processors arranged to execute one or more computer programs to provide at least some aspects of the operation of the door controller 220. Accordingly, the door controller 220 may be provided as a door controller device. Along the foregoing lines, door controller 220 is communicatively coupled to elevator controller 210, and door controller 220 is also communicatively coupled to door drive system 230, wherein a wired or wireless communication network and/or communication link may be used to provide a communicative coupling between door controller 220 and door drive system 230.

Aspects of the door controller 220 that controls movement of the car door 111 between the closed position and the open position may include at least the following operations with respect to moving the elevator car door 111:

the car door 111 is moved in a first direction,

the car door 111 is moved in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

Each of these operations may be implemented by gate controller 220 issuing a corresponding control signal to gate drive system 230. The door controller 220 may also set and/or adjust the moving speed of the car door 111, for example, by applying a corresponding control signal.

Monitoring aspects of the door controller 220 of at least one aspect of the operation of the door drive system 230 may include monitoring one or more parameters describing the power consumption of the motor of the door drive system 230. As an example of this, the door controller 220 can directly monitor or measure the power consumption of the motor of the door drive system 230, while in another example, the door controller 220 can monitor one or more parameters indirectly describing the power consumption of the motor of the door drive system 230. As an example of the latter, the door controller 220 may be arranged to monitor one or more characteristics of the current and/or voltage supplied to the motor of the door drive system 230, such as the amplitude and/or phase of the current supplied to the motor. The monitoring of the current and/or voltage may comprise obtaining from the motor controller a respective indication of the characteristics of the current and/or voltage supplied to the motor, or using a respective measuring device for obtaining a respective indication of the characteristics of the current and/or voltage supplied to the motor.

The door controller 220 is also capable of monitoring the position of the components of the drive train of the door drive system 230, which position is at least indirectly indicative of the (relative) position of the car door 111. As an example of this, where the drive train of the door drive system 230 includes a belt drive assembly, the metric of interest may include (a predetermined reference point in) the position of the belt drive assembly and/or the distance traveled by the belt between the closed and open positions of the car door 111.

Aspects of the door controller 220 may monitor at least one aspect of the operation of the door drive system 230, which may include the door controller 220 reading or receiving one or more parameters describing the power consumption of the motor of the door drive system 230, possibly along with the position of the components of the drive system of the door drive system 230, according to a predetermined schedule, e.g., at predetermined time intervals. As an example of this, the predetermined time interval may be selected from a range of 10 to 100 milliseconds, for example 50 milliseconds.

The door controller 220 may lack knowledge about the type of car door 111, the size (e.g., width) of the car door 111, and/or about any positional references of the car door 111 when manufactured and installed to the elevator car 110, and thus the door controller 220 may initially lack the knowledge required to detect the current position of the car door 111. In particular, the door controller 220 may initially lack knowledge as to which of the end positions of the range of movement of the car door 111 represents the closed position and which represents the open position. The advantage resulting from this way of providing the door controller 220 is that the same or similar door controller 220 is applicable to any car door 111 regardless of the design of the car door 111 and its arrangement relative to the elevator car 110, while on the other hand, this approach requires that the door controller 220 be configured when configuring or reconfiguring the elevator car 110 for use in order to enable proper operation of the door controller 220.

In this regard, the elevator door controller 220 may be arranged to perform a configuration process to derive position reference data that may be subsequently applied to control door movement during operation of the elevator system 100. The position reference obtained via the configuration process may include an indication of which one of the end positions of the movement range of the car door 111 represents the closed position and which one represents the open position. The position reference data may also include a first reference position for a component of the drive train of the elevator door drive system 230 and a second reference position for a component of the drive train of the elevator door drive system 230, wherein one of the first and second reference positions may represent a closed position (e.g., a closed end) of the car door 111 and the other of the first and second reference positions may represent an open position (e.g., an open end) of the car door 111. Alternatively or additionally, the position reference data may include a reference position and a reference distance of a component of the drive system of the elevator door drive system 230, wherein the reference position may represent one of a closed and an open position of the car door 111 and the reference distance may represent a positional deviation of the component of the drive system of the elevator door drive system 230 between the closed and the open position of the car door 111.

Derivation of the position reference data in accordance with the techniques described herein provides a reliable and repeatable way of configuring, reconfiguring, and monitoring operation of the car door 111 without requiring application of any physical components dedicated to the configuration process.

Due to the variation in the load of the motor during the movement of the car door from the first end position to the second end position of its range of movement, the power consumption of the motor of the door drive system 230 varies with the position of the car door 111, with one of the first end position and the second end position representing the closed position of the car door 111 and the other of the first end position and the second end position representing the open position of the car door 111. In particular, the load of the motor increases temporarily due to an additional load caused by the operation of the door coupler 112 (for example, due to the coupling element of the door coupler 112 in the car door 111 engaging the counter element of the landing door 131), while when the car door 111 moves to the end position of the movement range in which it cannot move further, the load of the motor increases significantly. Hereinafter, a curve describing the power consumption of the motor of the door drive system 230 according to the car door position when the car door 111 moves from one of the first end position and the second end position to the other is referred to as a power consumption curve.

The configuration process may be based on recording the corresponding power consumption curve when the car door 111 moves between its moving end positions in both directions. In particular, the configuration process may rely on comparing one or more characteristics of the recorded power consumption curves with corresponding characteristics of one or more reference power consumption curves. The reference power consumption curve may reflect one or more characteristics of the arrangement between the door drive system 230, the car door 111, the landing door 131, and the door coupler 112. As a non-limiting example in this respect, fig. 3A schematically shows a first reference power consumption curve representing the power consumption of the motor as a function of the door position when the car door 111 is moved from the closed position to the open position, while fig. 3B schematically shows a second reference power consumption curve representing the power consumption of the motor as a function of the door position when the car door 111 is moved from the open position to the closed position.

In the first reference power consumption curve, when the car door 111 starts to move, the power consumption of the motor initially rises to and remains at the intermediate power consumption level P due to the additional load caused by the operation of the door coupler 112 _c (designated as "door coupler range" in the illustrations of fig. 3A and 3B). After the door coupler stroke, the force required to move the car door 111 decreases, and therefore, the motorTo and maintained at a baseline (or nominal) power consumption level P _n Until the car door 111 has moved to the fully open position, this results in a dramatic increase in the power consumption of the motor (e.g., a peak in power consumption) because the car door 111 has reached the end position of its travel.

In the second reference power consumption curve, the power consumption of the motor is initially maintained at the baseline power consumption level P at the beginning of the movement of the car door 111 _n Until the car door 111 has moved to the door coupler range. Upon entering the gate coupler range, the load generated by operation of the gate coupler 112 causes the power consumption of the motor to rise to and remain at the intermediate power consumption level P _c Until the car door 111 has moved to the fully closed position, this results in a dramatic increase in the power consumption of the motor (e.g., a peak in power consumption) because the car door 111 has reached the end position of its range of movement. In the second reference power consumption curve, entering the "gate coupler range" may also result in a smaller peak in power consumption of the motor, as shown in the diagram of fig. 3B.

Another aspect that may have an impact on the power consumption of the motor when moving the car door 111 may be caused by a closing weight that may be coupled to the car door 111 and arranged such that it ensures closing of the car door 111 in case of a loss of power (and thus the door drive system 230 cannot drive the movement of the car door 111): the closing weight may result in a small increase in motor load when the door is opened, as compared to when the door is closed. This may enable a baseline power consumption level P in the power consumption curve with respect to movement of the car door 111 from the closed position to the open position _n Slightly higher than the baseline power consumption level P in the corresponding power consumption curve with respect to the movement of the car door 111 from the open position to the closed position _n 。

The configuration process may include: a first power consumption curve is recorded, the first power consumption curve describing the power consumption of the motor of the door drive system 230 as a function of the car door position when the car door 111 is moved from the first end position to the second end position; and recording a second power consumption curve describing the power consumption of the motor of the door drive system 230 as a function of the car door position when the car door 111 is moved from the second end position to the first end position. In this regard, the configuration process may include operating the door drive system 230 to move the car door 111 from the first end position to the second end position and to move the car door 111 from the second end position to the first end position while measuring one or more parameters describing the power consumption of the motor to record the first and second power consumption curves, respectively. In this regard, movement in the first or second direction may continue until the power consumption of the motor exceeds a predetermined peak power threshold Φ (see also fig. 3A and 3B in this regard), which may be considered as an indication that the car door 111 has reached the respective end position of its range of movement.

The configuration process may also include tracking or monitoring the position of components of the drive train of the door drive system 230, which components at least indirectly represent the (relative) position of the car door 111, while moving the car door 111 from the first end position to the second end position and/or vice versa. Thus, the configuration process may include recording the first reference position as the position of a component of the drive train when the car door 111 is in a first end position of its range of movement and/or recording the second reference position as the position of a component of the drive train when the car door 111 is in a second end position of its range of movement. Alternatively or additionally, the configuration process may further comprise recording a reference distance between corresponding positions of components of the drive train between a first end position and a second end position of the range of movement of the car door 111.

Similarly, in one example, the power consumption of the motor may be represented by one or more characteristics of the current and/or voltage provided to the motor of the gate drive system 230, such as by the magnitude of the current provided to the motor. In such an example, the first and second power consumption curves may include respective current curves describing a magnitude of current provided to the motor of the door drive system 230 as a function of a position of the car door between a first end position and a second end position of its range of movement. Also similarly, in one example, the drive train may include a belt drive, and the first and second reference positions may include (predetermined reference points in) respective positions of the drive belt of the belt drive assembly and/or the reference distance may include a travel distance of the drive belt between closed and open positions of the car door 111.

As above, the elevator door controller 220 may not know which of the first end position and the second end position represents the closed position of the car door 111 and which represents the open position of the car door 111. In this regard, the configuration process may include designating one of the first end position and the second end position as a door-closed position and designating the other of the first end position and the second end position as a door-open position based on the recorded first and second power consumption curves.

The specification may depend on one or more characteristics of the first and second recorded power consumption curves, taking into account one or more characteristics of a reference power consumption curve representing the power consumption of the motor as a function of door position, e.g. one or more characteristics of a reference power consumption curve according to the example shown in fig. 3A and 3B. In this regard, the designation may consider the first and second power consumption curves in their entirety, or may consider specific portions of the first and second power consumption curves. In this regard, the designating may include identifying a respective gate coupler range in each of the first and second power consumption curves, and the designating is performed in accordance with one or more characteristics of the respective gate coupler ranges identified in the first and second power consumption curves. In this regard, the gate coupler range may be identified as a sub-portion of the power consumption curve exhibiting a continuous period of increased power consumption that meets one or more predefined gate coupler range criteria (e.g., one or more of:

The power consumption is at least above the baseline power consumption level but below a predetermined peak power threshold P _hi Is a first predetermined margin of (a);

the sub-portions cover at least a predetermined travel distance of the car door 111.

Non-limiting examples of one or more characteristics of the respective gate coupler ranges in the first and second recorded power consumption curves used in the names, considering the entirety or at least a major portion of the first and second recorded power consumption curves, include the following:

in response to the identified respective door coupler range occurring at the beginning of the recorded first power consumption curve and the end of the recorded second power consumption curve, the first end position is designated as a door-closed position and the second end position is designated as a door-open position.

In response to the identified respective door coupler range occurring at the beginning of the recorded second power consumption curve and the end of the recorded first power consumption curve, the second end position is designated as a door-closed position and the first end position is designated as a door-open position.

In a further example, additionally or alternatively, the designation may consider a certain sub-portion of the first and second power consumption curves, e.g. the respective gate coupler ranges identified in the first and second power consumption curves. Non-limiting examples in this regard include the following:

In response to the door coupler range identified in the recorded second power consumption curve ending at the power consumption peak and the door coupler range identified in the recorded first power consumption curve not ending at the power consumption peak, designating the first end position as a closed end position and designating the second end position as an open end position.

In response to the door coupler range identified in the recorded first power consumption curve ending at a power consumption peak and the door coupler range identified in the recorded second power consumption curve not ending at a power consumption peak, designating the second end position as a closed end position and designating the first end position as an open end position.

In this regard, the presence of a power consumption peak may be identified by using one or more predefined peak criteria (e.g., one or more of the following):

the power consumption is at least a second predetermined margin above the baseline, wherein the second predetermined margin is greater than the first predetermined margin;

the power consumption exceeds a predetermined peak power threshold P _hi 。

Accordingly, the knowledge of which of the first end position and the second end position of the movement range of the car door 111 represents the closed position and which represents the open position is provided to the door controller 220 with one of the first end position and the second end position being designated as the closed position and the other being designated as the open position. The information may be stored in a memory available in the door controller 220 or accessible by the door controller 220 for later use during operation of the elevator system 100. In addition, the door controller 220 may also send a confirmation to the elevator controller 210 that the designation was successfully completed.

As previously described, the configuration process may include tracking or monitoring the position of the components of the drive train of the door drive system 230 and recording a first reference position as the position of the components of the drive train when the car door 111 is in a first end position of its range of movement and/or a second reference position as the position of the components of the drive train when the car door 111 is in a second end position of its range of movement, possibly together with a reference distance between the first and second reference positions.

The door controller 220 may also associate the first and/or second reference positions to the closed position of the car door 111 or the open position of the car door 111 by designating one of the first end position and the second end position of the car door 111 as the closed position and the other as the open position. In the case where the first end position of the car door 111 has been found to represent the closed position of the car door 111 (and, conversely, the second end position has been found to represent the open position of the car door 111), the first reference position represents the position of a component of the drive system when the car door 111 is closed, and the second reference position represents the position of a component of the drive system when the car door 111 is open, whereas in the case where the second end position of the car door 111 has been found to represent the closed position of the car door 111 (and, conversely, the first end position has been found to represent the open position of the car door 111), the second reference position represents the position of a component of the drive system when the car door 111 is closed, and the first reference position represents the position of a component of the drive system when the car door 111 is open.

Thus, the door controller 220 may operate the car door 111 according to the first and/or second reference positions, possibly taking into account the reference distance between the first and second reference positions, e.g. such that one of the first and second reference positions is used as an indication of the closed position of the car door 111 position and the other is used as an indication of the open position of the car door 111.

The door controller 220 may be arranged to initiate the configuration process in response to a command received from the elevator controller 210, in response to a command from an external (computing) device coupled to the elevator controller 210, or in response to a command received through a user interface provided in the elevator car 110. Regardless of the manner in which the configuration process is initiated, the functionality is only accessible to maintenance personnel.

Once activated, the door controller 220 may be configured to perform a predetermined number of configuration procedures to ensure that the first and second end positions of the range of motion of the car door 111 are properly designated as door closed and door open positions, and possibly to ensure that the first and second reference positions are properly set for components of the transmission system of the door drive system 230. In particular, successful completion of the configuration process may require that the aforementioned configuration process be performed a predetermined number of times with the same result as the door closing position and the door opening position with respect to the designation of the first end position and the second end position of the movement range of the car door 111 and, if applicable, with substantially the same result with respect to the first and second reference positions in response to the command received from the elevator controller 210.

In the above, the description refers to the car door 111 in the singular. However, the description is easily generalized to control the operation of at least one car door 111 of the elevator car 110, and thus the techniques described in this disclosure are equally applicable to, for example, a single car door 111 that opens to the left, a single car door 111 that opens to the right, and a double door 111 that includes respective door leaves that open to the left and right. In the latter example, the same motor and transmission system of door drive system 230 may be used to drive the movement of both door leaves. In the case where the elevator car 110 includes two or more independent car doors driven by respective individual door drive systems 230, such as respective car doors 111 in both ends of the elevator car 110, the door controller 220 may perform the above-described configuration process for each car door 111 individually.

Standards relating to safety of elevator transportation require that elevator car 110 is not allowed to travel unless car door 111 is fully closed. As an example, the closed state of the car door 111 may be provided by using a safety switch arranged in the car door 111, which closes the safety chain when the car door 111 is fully closed, and thus issues a monitoring signal, which may be transmitted as a primary car door closing signal to the elevator controller 210 to provide an indication that the car door 111 is properly closed.

In some cases, such as maintenance operations performed on the elevator system 100, it may be necessary to bypass the safety switch to disconnect the safety chain. In this case, it may still be necessary to move the elevator car 110 up or down, while the safety rules still prohibit the elevator controller 220 from moving the elevator car 110 without an indication that the car door 111 is fully closed. For this case, the elevator controller 210 may allow the elevator car 110 to move in response to receiving a secondary car door closing signal from the door controller 220, the secondary car door closing signal being derived using a mechanism that is substantially independent of the mechanism applied in the derivation of the primary car door closing signal. As one example of this, the door controller 220 may substantially continuously record the power consumption curve resulting from movement of the car door 111 and treat the power consumption curve ending with the door coupler range and/or the door coupler range within the power consumption curve ending with the power consumption peak as an event that may trigger transmission of the secondary car door close signal to the elevator controller 210. As another example, alternatively or additionally, the door controller 220 may treat a component of the drive train reaching one of the first and second reference positions associated with the closed door position as an event that may trigger transmission of a secondary car door closing signal to the elevator controller 210.

Operations involving the door controller 220 performing a configuration process may be described as steps of a method. As an example in this regard, fig. 4 depicts a flow chart showing a method 300, the method 300 may be implemented by the door controller 220, by a (computing) device coupled to the door controller 220, or by another entity of the elevator control system 200. The method 300 begins by monitoring one or more parameters describing power consumption of a motor of the door drive system 230 as the door 110 moves, as indicated in block 302. The method 300 further includes recording a first power consumption curve describing power consumption of the motor as a function of the car door position as the car door 111 moves from the first end position to the second end position, as shown in block 304, and recording a second power consumption curve describing power consumption of the motor as a function of the car door position as the car door 111 moves from the second end position to the first end position, as shown in block 306. The method 300 further includes designating one of the first end position and the second end position as a closed door position and the other of the first end position and the second end position as an open door position based on one or more characteristics of the first and second power consumption curves, as indicated at block 308. The method 300 may also include operating the car door 111 according to the designation after the configuration process is completed, as indicated at block 310. The various operations described with respect to blocks 302 through 310 of method 300 may be implemented, changed, and/or supplemented in a variety of ways, such as described with respect to door controller 220, other elements of elevator control system 200, and/or another element of elevator system 100.

Similarly, the door controller 220 may include or may be provided using one or more computing devices including a respective one or more processors arranged to execute one or more computer programs to provide at least some aspects of the operation of the door controller 220. As an example of this, the operation of the door controller 220 may be provided by a door controller device or by a device arranged to operate as the door controller 220. Fig. 5 schematically illustrates some components of an apparatus 400 that may be used to implement such an apparatus.

The apparatus 400 includes a processor 410 and a memory 420. Memory 420 may store data and computer program code 425. The device 400 may further comprise communication means 430 for wired or wireless communication with other devices and/or user I/O (input/output) components 440, which user I/O components 440 may be arranged together with the processor 410 and a portion of the computer program code 425 to provide a user interface for receiving input from a user and/or providing output to a user. In particular, the user I/O component may include a user input device, such as one or more keys or buttons, a keyboard, a touch screen or pad, or the like. The user I/O component may include an output device such as a display or touch screen. The components of apparatus 400 are communicatively coupled to each other via a bus 450, with bus 450 enabling data and control information to be transferred between the components.

The memory 420 and a portion of the computer program code 425 stored therein may also be arranged, along with the processor 410, to cause the apparatus 400 to perform at least some aspects of the operations of the gate controller 220 described previously. The processor 410 is configured to read from the memory 420 and write to the memory 420. Although the processor 410 is depicted as a respective single component, it may be implemented as a respective one or more separate processing components. Similarly, although memory 420 is depicted as a respective single component, it may be implemented as a respective one or more separate components, some or all of which may be integrated/removable and/or may provide permanent/semi-permanent/dynamic/cached storage.

The computer program code 425 may include computer executable instructions that, when loaded into the processor 410, implement at least some aspects of the operation of the door controller 220 described above. By way of example, computer program code 425 may comprise a computer program comprised of one or more sequences of one or more instructions. The processor 410 is capable of loading and executing a computer program by reading one or more sequences of one or more instructions contained therein from the memory 420. One or more sequences of one or more instructions may be configured, when executed by processor 410, to cause apparatus 400 to perform at least some aspects of the operations of gate controller 220 described previously. Accordingly, the apparatus 400 may include at least one processor 410 and at least one memory 420, the memory 420 including computer program code 425 for one or more programs, the at least one memory 420 and the computer program code 425 configured to, with the at least one processor 410, cause the apparatus 400 to perform at least some aspects of the operations of the door controller 220 described previously.

The computer program code 425 may be provided, for example, as a computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable non-transitory medium having computer program code 425 stored thereon, the computer program code 425 when executed by the processor 410 causing the apparatus 400 to perform at least some aspects of the operations of the door controller 220 described hereinabove. The computer readable non-transitory medium may include a storage device or a recording medium, such as a CD-ROM, DVD, blu-ray disc, or another article of manufacture that tangibly embodies a computer program. As another example, a computer program may be provided as a signal configured to reliably transfer the computer program.

References herein to a processor should not be construed as including only a programmable processor, but also including special purpose circuits such as a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), special purpose circuit (ASIC), signal processor, etc. The features described in the foregoing description may be used in other combinations than those explicitly described.

Claims

1. An arrangement (220) for controlling the operation of a car door (111) by operating a door drive system (230), the car door being arranged in an elevator car (110), the door drive system (230) being arranged to drive the car door (111) between a first end position and a second end position in the car door movement range, wherein the door drive system (230) comprises a motor coupled to the car door (111) via a transmission system, and wherein the elevator car (111) comprises a door coupler (112) connected to the car door (111), the door coupler (112) for temporarily coupling the car door (111) to a landing door (131) when the elevator car (110) resides in a landing zone of a landing (130) such that the landing door (131) moves together with the car door (111) between a closed position and an open position,

Wherein the device (220) is arranged for controlling the movement of the car door (111), monitoring one or more parameters describing the power consumption of the motor when the car door (111) is moved and performing a configuration procedure comprising:

a first power consumption curve is recorded, which describes the power consumption of the first electric motor as a function of the position of the car door (111) when the car door (111) is moved from the first end position to the second end position,

recording a second power consumption curve describing the power consumption of the electric motor as a function of the position of the car door (111) when the car door (111) is moved from the second end position to the first end position, and

one of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a door-closed position and the other of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a door-open position based on one or more characteristics of the first power consumption curve and the second power consumption curve.

2. The device (220) according to claim 1, further being arranged to operate the car door (111) according to the designation after completion of the configuration procedure.

3. The apparatus (220) of claim 1 or 2, wherein performing the configuration procedure comprises:

the apparatus (220) controls the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) from the first end position to the second end position to capture the first power consumption profile; and

the apparatus (220) controls the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) from the second end position to the first end position to capture the second power consumption profile.

4. The apparatus (220) of claim 3, wherein performing the configuration procedure comprises:

the apparatus (220) controls the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) from the first end position toward the second end position until the power consumption of the motor exceeds a predetermined peak power threshold; and

the apparatus (220) controls the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) from the second end position toward the first end position until the power consumption of the motor exceeds the predetermined peak power threshold.

5. The apparatus (220) of any of claims 1-4, wherein the specifying comprises:

In each of the recorded first and second power consumption curves, identifying a respective gate coupler range as a sub-portion of the recorded continuous time period of the respective power consumption curve exhibiting increased power consumption; and

one of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a door-closed position and the other of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a door-open position, depending on one or more characteristics of the respective door coupler ranges identified in the recorded first and second power consumption curves.

6. The apparatus (220) of claim 5, wherein identifying the gate coupler range in a power consumption curve comprises: identifying sub-portions of the respective power consumption curves that exhibit successive periods of increased power consumption that meet one or more of the following gate coupler range criteria:

the power consumption is at least a first predetermined margin higher than a baseline power consumption indicated in the respective power consumption curve, but the power consumption does not exceed a predetermined peak power threshold;

The sub-portion covers at least a predetermined travel distance of the car door (111).

7. The apparatus (220) of claim 5 or 6, wherein the specifying comprises:

in response to the identified respective door coupler range occurring at the beginning of the recorded first power consumption curve and at the end of the recorded second power consumption curve, designating the first end position as the door-closed position and designating the second end position as the door-open position,

in response to the identified respective door coupler range occurring at the beginning of the recorded second power consumption curve and the end of the recorded first power consumption curve, designating the second end position as the door-closed position and designating the first end position as the door-open position.

8. The apparatus (220) of any of claims 5-7, wherein the specifying comprises:

in response to the door coupler range identified in the recorded second power consumption curve ending at a power consumption peak and the door coupler range identified in the recorded first power consumption curve not ending at a power consumption peak, designating the first end position as a closed end position and designating the second end position as an open end position,

9. The apparatus (220) of any of claims 1 to 8, wherein the one or more parameters describing power consumption of the motor include one or more characteristics of current and/or voltage supplied to the motor.

10. The apparatus (220) of any of claims 1 to 9, wherein the one or more parameters describing power consumption of the motor include a magnitude of current supplied to the motor.

11. The apparatus (220) according to any one of claims 1 to 10, further arranged to track a position of a predetermined component of the transmission system, and wherein the configuration process further comprises:

recording a first reference position as a position of the component of the drive train when the car door (111) is in a first end position and/or recording a second reference position as a position of the component of the drive train when the car door (111) is in a second end position; and

According to the designation of the first end position and the second end position of the car door (111), one of the first reference position and the second reference position is associated with the door closing position, and the other of the first reference position and the second reference position is associated with the door opening position.

12. The apparatus (220) of claim 11, the associating comprising:

in response to designating the first end position as the door-closed position, associating the first reference position with the door-closed position and the second reference position with the door-open position,

in response to designating the second end position as the door-closed position, the second reference position is associated with the door-closed position and the first reference position is associated with the door-open position.

13. The apparatus (220) according to claim 11 or 12, further arranged to control the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) to the closed end position and the open end position according to the first reference position and the second reference position after the configuration process is completed.

14. The apparatus (220) according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein the predetermined component of a transmission system comprises a drive belt of a belt drive assembly.

15. The apparatus (220) according to any one of claims 11 to 14, further arranged to

A second door closing signal is issued in response to a car door (111) being positioned in one of the first and second reference positions associated with the closed door position.

16. The apparatus (220) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, further arranged to:

-recording a further power consumption curve describing the power consumption of the electric motor as a function of the car door (111) position when the car door (111) is moved from the first end position to the second end position;

in the further power consumption curve, identifying the respective gate coupler range as a sub-portion of the recorded respective power consumption curve exhibiting a continuous period of increased power consumption; and

a second door close signal is issued in response to one of:

the gate coupler range occurs at the end of the further power consumption curve,

the gate coupler range in the further power consumption curve ends at a power consumption peak.

17. An elevator car (110), comprising:

a car door (111) arranged in the elevator car (110);

a door drive system (230) for driving the car door (111) between a first end position and a second end position of the car door movement range, wherein the door drive system (230) comprises an electric motor coupled to the car door (111) via a transmission system;

a door coupler (112) connected to the car door (111) for temporarily coupling the car door (111) to a landing door (131) when the elevator car (110) resides in a landing zone of a landing (130) such that the landing door (131) moves with the car door (111) between a closed position and an open position; and

the door controller (220) of any of claims 1-16.

18. A method (300) for controlling operation of a car door (111) arranged in an elevator car (110) by operating a door drive system (230), the door drive system (230) being arranged to drive the car door (111) between a first end position and a second end position of a range of movement of the car door, wherein the door drive system (230) comprises a motor coupled to the car door (111) via a transmission system, and wherein the elevator car (111) comprises a door coupler (112) connected to the car door (111), the door coupler (112) for temporarily coupling the car door (111) to a landing door (131) when the elevator car (110) resides in a landing area of a landing (130) such that the landing door (131) moves together with the car door (111) between a closed position and an open position, the method (300) comprising:

-monitoring (302) one or more parameters describing the power consumption of the motor when the car door (111) is moving;

a first power consumption curve is recorded, which describes the power consumption of the electric motor as a function of the position of the car door (111) when the car door (111) is moved from the first end position to the second end position,

one of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a closed door position and the other of the first end position and the second end position is designated as a door open position based on one or more characteristics of the first power consumption curve and the second power consumption curve.

19. The method (300) of claim 18, further comprising operating the car door (111) after completing the configuration process according to the designation.

20. The method (300) of claim 18 or 19, wherein performing the configuration procedure comprises:

Controlling the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) from the first end position to the second end position to capture the first power consumption profile; and

-controlling the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) from the second end position to the first end position to capture the second power consumption profile.

21. The method (300) of claim 20, wherein performing the configuration procedure comprises:

controlling the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) from the first end position toward the second end position until the power consumption of the motor exceeds a predetermined peak power threshold; and

-controlling the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) from the second end position towards the first end position until the power consumption of the motor exceeds the predetermined peak power threshold.

22. The method (300) of any of claims 18-21, wherein the specifying comprises:

in each of the recorded first and second power consumption curves, identifying a respective gate coupler range as a sub-portion of a respective recorded power consumption curve exhibiting a continuous period of increased power consumption; and

Designating one of the first and second end positions as a closed door position and the other of the first and second end positions as an open door position, depending on one or more characteristics of the respective door coupler ranges identified in the recorded first and second power consumption curves.

23. The method (300) of claim 22, wherein identifying a gate coupler range in the power consumption curve includes: identifying sub-portions of the respective power consumption curves that exhibit successive periods of increased power consumption that satisfy one or more of the following gate coupler range criteria:

the power consumption is at least a first predetermined margin above the baseline power consumption indicated in the respective power consumption curve, but the power consumption does not exceed a predetermined peak power threshold;

24. The method (300) of claim 22 or 23, wherein the specifying comprises:

25. The method (300) of any of claims 22-24, wherein the specifying comprises:

26. The method (300) of any of claims 18-25, wherein the one or more parameters describing power consumption of the motor include one or more characteristics of current and/or voltage provided to the motor.

27. The method (300) of any of claims 18-26, wherein the one or more parameters describing power consumption of the motor include a magnitude of current provided to the motor.

28. The method (300) according to any one of claims 18 to 27, further comprising tracking a position of a predetermined component of the driveline, and wherein the configuring process further comprises:

29. The method (300) of claim 28, the associating comprising:

30. The method (300) of claim 28 or 29, further comprising controlling the door drive assembly (230) to move the car door (111) to the closed end position and the open end position according to the first reference position and the second reference position after the configuration process is completed.

31. The method (300) according to any one of claims 28 to 30, wherein the predetermined component of a transmission system comprises a drive belt of a belt drive assembly.

32. The method (300) of any of claims 28-31, further comprising issuing a second door closing signal in response to a car door (111) being positioned in one of the first and second reference positions associated with the closed door position.

33. The method (300) of any of claims 18-31, further comprising:

a second door close signal is issued in response to one of:

34. A computer program comprising computer readable program code configured to cause performance of the method of any one of claims 18 to 33 when the program code is run on one or more computing devices.